Queens National Anthem
'God Save The King' is a patriotic song that was first publicly performed in London in 1745. After the performance it has been referred to as the National Anthem from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The words and tune for the anthem are anonymous, and may even date back to the seventeenth century.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart ‘Young Pretender’ to the Throne defeated the army of King George II at Prestonpans, near Edinburgh in September 1745. When the news of this victory reached London, the leader of the band at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, arranged 'God Save The King' for performance after a play.
It was a tremendous success and was repeated nightly thereafter. As this tune did very well it soon spread to other theatres, and the custom of greeting the Monarch with the song as he or she entered a place of public entertainment was thus established.

There is no authorised version of the National Anthem as the words are a matter of tradition. Over the years new verses have been added, but they are rarely used. The words used are those sung in 1745, substituting 'Queen' for 'King' where appropriate. For official occasions, only the first verse is usually sung:
God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen.

An additional verse is occasionally sung:
Thy choicest gifts in store
On her be pleased to pour,
Long may she reign.
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause,
To sing with heart and voice,
God save the Queen.

In other countries the British tune has been used. For in the 18th century European visitors to Britain noticed the advantage of a country possessing such a recognised musical symbol this included Germany, Russia, Switzerland and America (where use of the tune continued after independence). Some 140 composers have used this tune in their compositions including Beethoven, Haydn and Brahms.